Method and system for diagnosis and control of machines using connectionless modes having delivery monitoring and an alternate communication mode

ABSTRACT

A method and system for retransmitting messages using an alternate mode of communication when an original mode of communication is determined to be unsuccessful. A message is first transmitted using a connectionless-mode of communication such as by using an Internet electronic mail message. A request for acknowledgment of receipt of the message and/or individual operators within the message is requested. If the acknowledgment of receipt of the message is not received within an appropriate time determined based on an urgency level of the reply, the message is retransmitted using a more reliable mode of communication such as a connection-mode of operation which includes a direct telephone connection over a public telephone network using a modem, using an ISDN line, or a cable with a cable modem.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is related to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/820,633 filed Mar. 19, 1997 entitled “Method and System toDiagnose a Business Office Device Based on Operating Parameters Set by aUser, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/733,134 filed Oct. 16, 1996entitled “Method and System for Diagnosis and Control of Machines UsingConnectionless Modes of Communication, U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/624,228 filed Mar. 29, 1996 entitled “Method and System forControlling and Communicating with Machines Using Multiple CommunicationFormats”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/463,002 filed Jun. 5, 1995entitled “Method and System for Diagnosis and Control of Machines UsingConnection and Connectionless Modes of Communication”, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/698,068 filed Aug. 15, 1996 entitled “Method andApparatus for Controlling and Communicating With Business OfficeDevices”, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/562,192 filed Nov. 22, 1995, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/473,780 filed Jun. 6, 1995, entitled “Method andApparatus for Controlling and Communicating With Business OfficeDevices”, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,289, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 08/426,679 filed Apr. 24, 1995, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,537,554, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Controlling andCommunicating With Business Office Devices” which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/282,168 filed Jul. 28, 1994 andentitled “Method and Apparatus for Controlling and Communicating WithBusiness Office Devices”, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,779, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/902,462 filed Jun.19, 1992, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 07/549,278, filed Jul. 6, 1990, now abandoned, thedisclosure of each is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention is related to the remote monitoring,diagnosis and control of machines using connection and connectionlessmodes of communication and is more particularly related to monitoring,the control and diagnosis of business office machines such as copiers,printers, and facsimile machines.

[0004] The invention is further related to assuring that outgoingconnectionless communications are received by the appropriate entity andattempting communication using an alternate mode if a connectionlesscommunication is not received.

[0005] 2. Discussion of the Background

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,779 discloses the controlling of businessoffice devices by a remote diagnostic station. However, the method ofcommunication in this system and other known systems for controllingmachines such as business office machines is to establish a connectionbetween the machine and the diagnostic station and to use aconnection-mode of communication.

[0007] The use of a dedicated communication connection between themachine and diagnostic station is more expensive as compared to the useof the Internet. On the other hand, the Internet has disadvantages inthat some forms of communication over the Internet are slow and may bedelayed, and have a problem in that the Internet is not a secure mode oftransmission (i.e., communications may be monitored by others). Further,because of the nature of the Internet, electronic mail communicationstransmitted over the Internet do not always reach their intendeddestinations. In addition, the connection-mode access to an installedmachine from the Internet may not be possible because of a securityblock by a firewall. However, even with the delays of aconnectionless-mode of communication over the Internet, the inventor hasfound that the Internet can still provide a suitable medium forcommunication for some applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to provide aconnectionless-mode of transmission between a machine and a remotediagnostic station. It is a further object of the invention to provide amethod and system to assure that outgoing connectionless communicationsare properly received, and when not received, to use an alternate modeof communication.

[0009] These and other objects are accomplished by a method and systemof communicating. Initially, a device transmits a connectionless-modemessage such as an electronic mail message to a receiving device. Theconnectionless-mode message includes a message ID, an indication ofwhether a reply to the message is requested, an indication of theurgency level of the reply, and the message contents. The messagepreferably includes some type of time stamp or other unique identifierwhich is used to differentiate messages. According to the preferredembodiment, the message ID is created based on the time and date themessage is created or transmitted.

[0010] In addition to providing the capability of a request for a replyto a message, replies may be requested, if desired, for individualcommands or operators contained within the message. The operators withinthe message may be constructed to include the operator name, one or moreparameters of the operator, whether a reply is requested for theoperator, the urgency level of the reply for the operator, and anoperation request ID. The operation request ID is included for thepurpose of allowing the same operator to be included in a message aplurality of times. Thus, specific operators can be identified byindicating the message ID corresponding to the message containing theoperator along with the operation request ID corresponding to theoperator. As an example of how the operation request ID operates, thefirst time an operator is used in a message, its operation request ID isset to one. Subsequent uses of the same operator are assigned the nextsequential number for that operator such as two, three, etc. Theinvention allows an inquire operation to be transmitted in order todetermine the status of an operation which was requested to beperformed.

[0011] The connectionless-mode messages used with the present inventionare preferably electronic mail messages. The message body preferablycontains the content of the message, although it is possible for theheader of the message to contain some information. According to thepreferred embodiment, the message body is transmitted in a textualrepresentation of a binary message. In order to assure that the binarymessage is properly communicated, the binary message may be converted toa textual format in a known manner such as through the known uuencodeoperation.

[0012] If an acknowledgment of the receipt or processing of theconnectionless-mode of operation has not been received, the originaltransmitting device may again attempt to communicate the message using aconnection-mode of operation such as by using a modem connection over atelephone line, an ISDN line, or cable. Alternatively, a message may bedisplayed to a user indicating that an acknowledgment was not received.If the message originates from a business office device such as acopier, an operation panel of the copier may display a messageindicating that the message was not received and it is desirable to callthe service center of the copier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of theattendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

[0014]FIG. 1 illustrates three networked business office machinesconnected to a network of computers and data bases through the Internet;

[0015]FIG. 2 illustrates the components of a digital copier/printer;

[0016]FIG. 3 illustrates electronic components of the digitalcopier/printer illustrated in FIG. 2;

[0017]FIG. 4 illustrates details of the multi-port communicationinterface illustrated in FIG. 3;

[0018]FIG. 5 illustrates a process performed when a machine is initiallyinstalled;

[0019]FIG. 6 illustrates a process for determining whether an incomingcommunication to the machine requires ordinary action or is for remotemonitoring, diagnosis and control;

[0020]FIG. 7 is a data flow diagram of communications to and from themachine;

[0021]FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the process of the data flowdiagram of FIG. 7;

[0022]FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the processing performed whencommunication is initiated by the machine;

[0023]FIG. 10 illustrates connectionless communication from the machineto the remote monitoring device;

[0024]FIG. 11 illustrates a connection-mode of transmission between themonitoring device and the machine being monitored;

[0025]FIG. 12A illustrates the main components of the service data base;

[0026]FIG. 12B illustrates information of an attachment and options database;

[0027]FIG. 12C illustrates a data base used for keeping track of thehistory of various machines;

[0028]FIGS. 13A and 13B are a flowchart illustrating a first embodimentof monitoring outgoing messages from a business office device to a datacenter by a security center;

[0029]FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment ofmonitoring outgoing messages from a business office device to a datacenter by a security center;

[0030]FIG. 15 illustrates a data structure containing the fieldsutilized in a transmitted message;

[0031]FIG. 16 illustrates a data structure utilized to transmit theinformation of an operator contained within the message contents of atransmitted message;

[0032]FIG. 17 illustrates a data structure which is utilized to inquireinto the status of an operation which was earlier transmitted;

[0033]FIG. 18 illustrates a data structure containing fields utilized ina message reply acknowledging the receipt of a message;

[0034]FIG. 19 illustrates a data structure containing fields utilized toindicate the status of an operation which has been requested to beperformed;

[0035]FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary electronic mail message utilizedin the connectionless-mode operation of the invention;

[0036]FIGS. 21A and 22B illustrate the process of constructing a messagewhich is to be transmitted;

[0037]FIG. 22 illustrates a process of constructing the information ofan operator which is contained in a transmitted message;

[0038]FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C illustrate the manner of processing areceived connectionless-mode message;

[0039]FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating the generation of an inquiryoperation which determines the status of an operation;

[0040]FIG. 25 illustrates a process of monitoring whether requests havebeen received for messages desiring a reply or acknowledgment; and

[0041]FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating the process of receiving aconnection-mode message from a transmitting device, performed after thetransmitting device does not receive acknowledgment of receipt of aconnectionless-mode message which was earlier transmitted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and moreparticularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is illustrated a figure showingvarious machines and computers for monitoring, diagnosing andcontrolling the operation of the machines. In FIG. 1, there is a firstnetwork 16, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) connected to computerworkstations 17, 18, 20 and 22. The workstations can be any type ofcomputers including IBM Personal Computer compatible devices, Unix BasedComputers, or Apple Macintoshes. Also connected to the network 16 are adigital copier/printer 24, a facsimile machine 28, and a printer 32. Thedevices 24, 28 and 32 are referred to as machines or monitored devicesand other types of devices may be used as the machines or monitoreddevices. Also, a facsimile server (not illustrated) may be connected tothe network 16 and have a telephone, ISDN (Integrated Services DigitalNetwork), or cable connection. In addition to the digital copier/printer24, facsimile machine 28, and printer 32 being connected to the network16, these devices may also include conventional telephone and/or ISDNand/or cable connections 26, 30 and 34, respectively. As is explainedbelow, the business office machines or business devices 24, 28 and 32communicate with a remote monitoring, diagnosis and control station,also referred to as a monitoring device, through the Internet via thenetwork 16 or by a direct telephone, ISDN, or cable connection.

[0043] In FIG. 1, the Internet is generally designated by 10. TheInternet 10 includes a plurality of interconnected computers and routersdesignated by 12A-12B. The manner of communicating over the Internet isknown through RFC documents obtained by FTP at NIC.DDN.MIL or at FTPNISC.SRI.COM. TCP/IP related communication is described for example inthe book “TCP/IP Illustrated,” Vol. 1, The Protocols, by Stevens, fromAddison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1994. As the Internet is a networkaccessible by many people and organizations, it is not considered to besecure. Therefore, messages transmitted over the Internet should beencrypted to keep the messages confidential. Encryption mechanisms areknown and commercially available which may be used with the presentinvention. For example, a C library function, crypt( ), is availablefrom Sun Microcomputers for use with the Unix operating system, andother encryption and decryption routines are known and commerciallyavailable.

[0044] An additional security measure used in connecting a computernetwork to the Internet is a protective device known as a firewall. Thisdevice allows only authorized computers to access a network or othercomputer via the Internet.

[0045] Firewalls are known and commercially available devices and, forexample, include SunScreen from Sun Microsystems Inc.

[0046] In FIG. 1, a firewall 14 is connected between the Internet 10 andthe network 16. Similarly, a firewall 50 is connected between theInternet 10 and a network 52. Also, a firewall 40 is connected betweenthe Internet 10 and a workstation 42.

[0047] The network 52 is a conventional network and includes a pluralityof workstations 56, 62, 68 and 74. These workstations may be differentdepartments within a company such as a marketing, manufacturing, designengineering and customer service departments. In addition to theworkstations connected via the network 52, there is a workstation 42which is not directly connected to the network 52. Information in a database stored in a disk 46 may be shared using proper encryption andprotocols over the Internet to the workstations connected directly tothe network 52. Also, the workstation 42 includes a direct connection toa telephone line and/or ISDN and/or cable 44 and the data base in disk46 may be accessed through the telephone line, ISDN, or cable. The cableused by this invention may be implemented using a cable which typicallyis used to carry television programming, cable which provides for highspeed communication of digital data typically used with computers or thelike, or may be implemented using any desired type of cable.

[0048] Information of the business office machines 24, 28 and 32 may bestored in one or more of the data bases stored in the disks 46, 54, 58,64, 70 and 76. Each of the customer service, marketing, manufacturing,and engineering departments may have their own data base or may sharefrom one or more data bases. Each of the disks used to store data basesis a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or optical disk. As anexample, disk 64 contains the marketing data base, disk 58 contains themanufacturing data base, disk 70 contains the engineering data base anddisk 76 contains the customer service data base. Alternatively, thedisks 54 and 46 store one or more of the data bases.

[0049] In addition to the workstations 56, 62, 68, 74 and 42 beingconnected to the Internet, these workstations may also include aconnection to a telephone line, ISDN, or cable which provides a secureconnection to the machine being monitored diagnosed and/or controlledand is used during a connection-mode of communication. Additionally, ifone of the Internet, and telephone, ISDN, or cable is not operatingproperly, one of the others can be automatically used for communication.

[0050] An important feature of the present invention is the use of aconnectionless-mode of communication or transmission between a machineand a computer for diagnosing and controlling the machine. The IBMDictionary of Computing by George McDaniel, 1994, defines aconnectionless-mode transmission to be the transmission of a single unitof data from a source service access point to one or more destinationservice access points without establishing a connection. The IBMDictionary also defines a connection-mode transmission to be thetransmission of units of data from a source service access point to oneor more destination service access points via a connection. Theconnection is established prior to data transfer and released followingdata transfer. Additional information about the connection-mode and theconnectionless-mode of operation is described in the Handbook ofComputer-Communications Standards, Vol. 1, 2nd Edition, by WilliamStallings, 1990, which is incorporated herein by reference. In order totransfer data from one DTE (data terminal equipment) to another DTE,there is a unique identifier or address for each DTE. This uniqueidentifier or address is usable in both connectionless-modes andconnectionless-modes of communication.

[0051]FIG. 2 illustrates the mechanical layout of the digitalcopier/printer 24 illustrated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, 101 is a fan for thescanner, 102 is a polygonal mirror used with a laser printer, and 103designates an FE lens used to collimate light from a laser (notillustrated). Reference numeral 104 designates a sensor for detectinglight from the scanner, 105 is a lens for focusing light from thescanner onto the sensor 104, and 106 is a quenching lamp used to eraseimages on the photoconductive drum 132. There is a charging corona unit107 and a developing roller 108. Reference numeral 109 designates a lampused to illustrate a document to be scanned and 110, 111 and 112designate mirrors used to reflect light onto the sensor 104. There is adrum mirror 113 used to reflect light to the photoconductive drum 132originating from the polygon mirror 102. Reference numeral 114designates a fan used to cool the charging area of the digitalcopier/printer, and 115 is a first paper feed roller used for feedingpaper from the first paper cassette 117, and 116 is a manual feed table.Similarly, 118 is a second paper feed roller for the second cassette119. Reference numeral 120 designates a relay roller, 121 is aregistration roller, 122 is an image density sensor and 123 is atransfer/separation corona unit. Reference numeral 124 is a cleaningunit, 125 is a vacuum fan, 126 illustrates a transport belt, 127 is apressure roller, and 128 is an exit roller. Reference numeral 129 is ahot roller used to fix toner onto the paper, 130 is an exhaust fan and131 is the main motor used to drive the digital copier.

[0052]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the electronic componentsillustrated in FIG. 2. The CPU 160 is a microprocessor and acts as thesystem controller. There is a random access memory 162 to storedynamically changing information including operating parameters of thedigital copier. A read only memory 164 stores the program code used torun the digital copier and also information describing the copier(static-state data) such as the model number and serial number of thecopier.

[0053] There is a multi-port communication interface 166 which allowsthe digital copier to communicate with external devices. Referencenumeral 168 represents a telephone, ISDN, or cable line and 170represents a network. Further information of the multi-portcommunication interface is described with respect to FIG. 4. Aninterface controller 172 is used to connect an operation panel 174 to asystem bus 186. The operation panel 174 includes standard input andoutput devices found on a digital copier including a copy button, keysto control the operation of the copier such as number of copies,reducement/enlargement, darkness/lightness, etc. Additionally, a liquidcrystal display is included within the operation panel 174 to displayparameters and messages of the digital copier to a user.

[0054] A storage interface 176 connects storage devices to the systembus 186. The storage devices include a flash memory 178 which can besubstituted by a conventional EEPROM and a disk 182. The disk 182includes a hard disk, optical disk, and/or a floppy disk drive. There isa connection 180 connected to the storage interface 176 which allows foradditional memory devices to be connected to the digital copier. Theflash memory 178 is used to store semi-static state data which describesparameters of the digital copier which infrequently change over the lifeof the copier. Such parameters include the options and configuration ofthe digital copier. An option interface 184 allows additional hardwaresuch as an external interface to be connected to the digital copier. Aclock/timer 187 is utilized to keep track of both the time and date andalso to measure elapsed time.

[0055] On the left side of FIG. 3, the various sections making up thedigital copier are illustrated. Reference numeral 202 designates asorter and contains sensors and actuators used to sort the output of thedigital copier. There is a duplexer 200 which allows a duplex operationto be performed by the digital copier and includes conventional sensorsand actuators. The digital copier includes a large capacity tray unit198 which allows paper trays holding a large number of sheets to be usedwith the digital copier. The large capacity tray unit 198 includesconventional sensors and actuators.

[0056] A paper feed controller 196 is used to control the operation offeeding paper into and through the digital copier. A scanner 191 is usedto scan images into the digital copier and includes conventionalscanning elements such as a light, mirror, etc. Additionally, scannersensors are used such as a home position sensor to determine that thescanner is in the home position and a lamp thermistor to ensure properoperation of the scanning lamp. There is a printer/image 192 whichprints the output of the digital copier and includes a conventionallaser printing mechanism, a toner sensor, and an image density sensor.The fuser is used to fuse the toner onto the page using a hightemperature roller and includes an exit sensor, a thermistor to assurethat the fuser is not overheating, and an oil sensor. Additionally,there is an optional unit interface 188 used to connect to optionalelements of the digital copier such as an automatic document feeder, adifferent type of sorter/collator, or other elements which can be addedto the digital copier.

[0057]FIG. 4 illustrates details of the multi-port communicationinterface 166. The digital copier may communicate to external devicesthrough a Centronics interface 220 which receives or transmitsinformation to be printed, a cable modem unit 221 which has a high speedconnection over cable, a SCSI interface 222, a conventional telephoneinterface 224 which connects to a telephone line 168A, an ISDN interface226 which connects to an ISDN line 168B, an RS-232 interface 228, and aLAN interface 230 which connects to a LAN 170. A single device whichconnects to both a Local Area Network and a telephone line iscommercially available from Megahertz and is known as theEthernet-Modem.

[0058] The CPU or other microprocessor or circuitry executes amonitoring process to monitor the state of each of the sensors of thedigital copier, and a sequencing process is used to execute theinstructions of the code used to control and operate the digital copier.Additionally, there is a central system control process executed tocontrol the overall operation of the digital copier and a communicationprocess used to assure reliable communication to external devicesconnected to the digital copier. The system control process monitors andcontrols data storage in a static state memory such as the ROM 164 ofFIG. 3, a semi-static memory such as the flash memory 178 or disk 182,or the dynamic state data which is stored in a volatile or non-volatilememory such as the RAM 162 or the flash memory or disk 182.Additionally, the static state data may be stored in a device other thanthe ROM 164 such as a non-volatile memory including either of the flashmemory 178 or disk 182.

[0059] The above details have been described with respect to a digitalcopier but the present invention is equally applicable to other businessoffice machines such as a facsimile machine, a scanner, a printer, afacsimile server, or other business office machines. Additionally, thepresent invention includes other types of machines which operate using aconnection-mode or connectionless-mode of communication such as ametering system including a gas, water, or electricity metering system,vending machines, or any other device which performs mechanicaloperations, has a need to be monitored, and performs a function. Inaddition to monitoring special purpose machines, and computers, theinvention can be used to monitor, control, and diagnose a generalpurpose computer.

[0060]FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart containing a process which isperformed for a new machine such as a business office device in order tohave it properly recognized by diagnostic, monitoring, and controlequipment. After starting, step 250 has a user or device assign a nameand address to the machine. In order for the device to transmit orreceive communications, it is necessary to know where to send thecommunication and from where the communication originates. Step 252stores the name and address in the semi-static state memory such as theflash memory 178 or the disk 182 illustrated in FIG. 3. This informationis used both for a connection-mode of communication via a telephone,ISDN, or cable line, a connectionless-mode of communication such asusing a conventional Internet electronic mail protocol, and also to havecommunication to the machine for ordinary purposes such as using thedigital copier/printer for printing jobs via the local area network.

[0061] Once the information for the machine has been determined and thenstored in step 252, it is necessary to register this information so thatother devices will be able to access the machine. Therefore, the nameand address of this device are registered in a mail server, for example,which will send and receive electronic mail for the network to which themail server is connected. It is also desirable to register the machineas part of the local area network. Further, the monitoring devices towhich the machine transmits messages are registered with the machine.Last, the machine is registered with a computer of a customer servicedepartment or other remote monitoring, controlling and/or diagnosingcomputer in order for the remote device to properly monitor and be awareof the existence of the machine. Step 256 sends a message to a servicedepartment or one of the other divisions illustrated in FIG. 1 in orderto register the name, address, model number, serial number, or otherinformation and capabilities of the machine in the customer service oranother type of data base.

[0062]FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart for determining the source ofcommunication to the machine such as a business office device. Afterstarting, step 260 determines if the input is for a system operation, oralternatively for a diagnosis, monitoring, or remote control operation.If the input is determined to be for the system in step 260, step 262sets the input channel for ordinary system input processing. Forexample, if the machine were a printer, the received information wouldbe used to produce a print job. If step 260 determines that the input isnot for the system but for control, monitoring, or diagnosis of themachine, step 264 searches for an appropriate application for the input.A typical application would be a process for monitoring or testing ofthe machine. Step 266 examines if the application which was searched foris found and if it was not, an error is indicated. Otherwise, step 268sets the input channel for the application input processing and thesystem is ready to process the incoming information.

[0063]FIG. 7 illustrates a data flow diagram which processes incomingmessages to and outgoing messages from a machine such as the digitalcopier/printer. A direct connection process 270 is used to processincoming and outgoing communications in a connection-mode ofcommunication such as through a local area network, telephone line, ISDNline, or cable. Incoming messages pass through buffer 274 to a parsingprocess 292 which performs parsing of incoming information in a knownand conventional manner. The incoming information causes various actionssuch as the actions illustrated in 294, 296 and 298 to occur. Someactions require that a message be returned and the returned message isillustrated by the arrows leading to buffer 300. An output messageprocess is performed which prepares an outgoing message to either thedirect connection or connectionless process. The direct connectionprocess passes through buffer 272 before passing through the directconnection process 270.

[0064] For a connectionless-mode of communication, there is aconnectionless input process 276 and a connectionless output process278. Incoming connectionless-mode communications pass through buffer 280and a decryption process is performed in step 284. The decryptedinformation is stored in buffer 286 and passed to a conventional parsingprocess 292. As explained above, one or more of the actions 294, 296 and298 are performed and outgoing messages pass through the buffer 300 tothe output message process 302. Then, the connectionless-mode outgoingmessages pass through a buffer 290, after which they are encrypted bythe encryption process 288. The encrypted messages then pass throughbuffer 282 and are transmitted via the connectionless output process 278over a connectionless network such as the Internet to their finaldestination.

[0065] Any type of a connectionless-mode of communication may be used bythe present invention. An inexpensive and readily available mediumthrough which connectionless messages may pass is the Internetprocessing electronic mail messages. The connectionless input and outputprocesses may be according to any known Internet e-mail protocol such asused by the BSD Unix mail system which is incorporated into the SunOS4.1.X. Also, other information describing Internet e-mail operations arereadily available through various sources on the Internet itself. Whilethe Internet provides an inexpensive manner of a connectionless-mode ofcommunication, the Internet electronic mail system may be slow orunreliable and therefore, in certain circumstances, instead of using aconnectionless process, a direct connection process as described below,is performed.

[0066]FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart which may be used to implement thedata flow diagram illustrated in FIG. 7. After starting, step 340determines if decryption is needed and if it is, a decryption routine isperformed in step 342. Step 344 then calls a parser which parses in aconventional manner and step 346 determines if any action needs to betaken. If it does, for example when information is to be transmittedback to the remote monitoring, diagnosis, or control device, step 348calls the required routine. Step 350 determines if more processing isneeded and flow returns back to step 340 for further processing.Otherwise, flow returns to the calling process.

[0067]FIG. 9 illustrates a process performed within the machine whichdetermines whether a connection-mode or a connectionless-mode ofcommunication is needed. After starting, step 370 determines if an eventrequires communication and if it does not, flow returns to the callingprocess. If communication is needed, step 372 determines whether theevent requires a connectionless-mode or a connection-mode oftransmission. Any type of high priority event for which immediateattention is needed or which the remote monitoring device would beinterested in on an expedited basis is sent in a connection-mode ofcommunication. This may be used when a hazardous condition exists withinthe machine or when something in the machine needs immediate attention.For example, if a thermistor in the fuser unit senses a high and unsafetemperature, a direct connection mode may be used. However, thetransmission of a weekly or monthly report indicating the usage and anormal condition state in the machine can use the slowerconnectionless-mode of communication. Additionally, when theconnectionless mode of communication is not properly functioning, theconnection-mode of communication is used. For example, if an Internete-mail message is not properly received by the monitoring device, adirect connection-mode of communication is used. The e-mail message maycontain a request for acknowledgment of receipt and if an acknowledgmentis not received within a predetermined time (e.g. 3-24 hours) then aconnection-mode communication is used to re-transmit the message. Also,if a connection-mode of communication is not properly functioning, thenthe connectionless-mode of communication may be used.

[0068] If step 372 determines that an event does not require aconnectionless-mode of communication, step 376 determines if the directcommunication channel is ready. For example, it determines if thetelephone line, ISDN line, or cable is available. If it is, a directcommunication process is performed in step 378 to transmit theappropriate information. If the direct channel is not ready, step 380notifies the user through the operation panel that there is a problemwith the telephone, ISDN, or other direct connection device orcommunication medium. If step 372 determines that the event requires aconnectionless-mode of transmission, step 374 calls a connectionlesscommunication process. The process of FIG. 9 then returns to the callingprocess.

[0069]FIG. 10 illustrates a connectionless-mode of communicationinitiated by the machine which is being remotely diagnosed, controlled,and monitored. Initially, the monitored device transmits its identity instep 390. The monitored device then requests an analysis of the densityinformation of the digital copier in step 394. The monitoring deviceanalyzes the density information for the specific digital copiercorresponding to the transmitted identity in order to determine if theprint density of the digital copier is too dark or too light. Step 396then transmits the results of the density analysis back to the monitoreddevice. If the process of FIG. 10 used a connection-mode ofcommunication, the monitoring device would execute step 392 whichacknowledged receipt of the identity information and step 394 would notbe performed until the acknowledgment was received. However, in aconnectionless-mode of communication, step 392 is not performed and thetransmission of the identity would be immediately followed by therequest for analysis, possibly in the same message.

[0070] As with the business office machine, the remote device forcontrolling, diagnosing, and monitoring the machine may initiate eithera connection-mode or connectionless-mode of communication. As with themachine, when the remote monitoring device needs to send urgentinformation or needs an urgent response from the machine, aconnection-mode of communication is used. When time is not critical, theremote device may use a connectionless-mode of communication. Forexample, if new control software needs to be downloaded to the businessoffice machine due to a bug in the program in the business officemachine which causes a dangerous condition, a direct connection-mode ofcommunication will be used. Also, as described with respect to themonitored device, if the monitoring device experiences a problem withone of the modes of communication, one of the other modes may be used.

[0071]FIG. 11 illustrates a connection-mode of communication initiatedby the monitoring device. Initially, step 400 requests the identity ofthe monitored device and the monitored device transmits its identity instep 402. In step 404, the monitoring device verifies the identity andlooks up the capabilities of the identified device in a data base. Thedata base describes various information of the monitored device ormachine such as service history, optional equipment, usage information,or other information. In step 406, the monitoring device requests imagedensity information from the monitored device. In step 408, themonitored device receives the request for image density information,determines the image density information (or looks up previously storedimage density information) and transmits the image density informationback to the monitoring device in step 408. In step 410, the monitoringdevice analyzes the received information (i.e., compares the receivedinformation with information looked up in the data base) and determinesthat it is appropriate to change parameters of the monitored device.

[0072] Step 412 requests parameters of the device to be changed andtransmits an appropriate command. In step 414, the monitored devicechanges its operating parameters in accordance with the receivedcommand.

[0073]FIGS. 12A through 12C illustrate various data base structureswhich may be used by the invention. FIG. 12A illustrates a simple database 440 containing the machine ID 442, the model number 444, the serialnumber 446, a command level 448, and an address 450. The ID 442 is aunique describer of the device and used to link various data basesdescribing the device such as the data bases illustrated in FIGS. 12Band 12C. The command level 448 indicates whether the machine can processsimple or complex instruction sets. The address 450 contains theconnection and connectionless address information including the networkaddress, phone number, name, and any other information necessary toidentify the machine.

[0074] Linked to the data base in FIG. 12A are the data bases in FIGS.12B and 12C which respectively describe attachment information and thehistory of the machine. The data base structure 460 illustrated in FIG.12B is for attachments and options for machines contained in the database of FIG. 12A and contains an ID field 462 which corresponds to theID field 442 of FIG. 12A. The attachment ID field 464 indicates the typeof optional attachments connected to the machine such as a sorter,automatic document feeder, or other attachment. The attachment serialnumber 446 is the serial number of the attachment connected to themachine. The attachment ID field may be linked to a data base describingvarious features of the attachment data base. Other fields may becontained in the attachment and option data base 460.

[0075] The history of the machine is stored in a separate data baseillustrated in FIG. 12C. The data base structure 470 again contains anID field 472 which is used to link the various data bases. A date andtime field 474 and an information field 476 is used to describemalfunctions or other special conditions and events within the machineincluding the date and time at which an event occurred.

[0076] The data bases as illustrated in FIGS. 12A-12C are illustrativeof the type of information which is stored regarding the machine. Eventhough illustrated as separated data bases, the implementation of thedata bases may include more or less data bases. Different departmentswithin a company may maintain different data bases describinginformation about the various machines. The service data base will bemost complete about individual machines, contain a complete servicehistory of each machine, and may be stored at a customer servicedivision. Separate manufacturing, engineering and marketing departmentdata bases may be maintained and use the information generated from themachine. The different data bases may be linked through differentfields. For example, the service data base may be linked to themanufacturing data base through the serial and model numbers. Themanufacturing data base and engineering data base may be linked througha version and model number, and the service data base and engineeringdata base may be linked through model numbers. Any type of known database scheme may be used to maintain and share information, as needed.

[0077] Separate analysis and decision software may be created whichallows a user to make a specific inquiry into any one or more of thedata bases. The user may formulate any type of query and the data basessearched to produce the requested information. The analysis and decisionsoftware is also used to generate monthly or other regular reportsdescribing information of the machines and may generate an alert orother type of warning when a malfunction occurs. TABLE 1A Monthly ReportMessage From Copiers Copy count and job count List of changed partsdetected List of parameters changed Use of duplexing Use of reductionUse of enlargement Copy counts for various paper sizes Use of manualfeed

[0078] TABLE 1B Monthly Report Message From Printers Copy count and jobcount List of changed parts/supplies List of set up changes Use ofduplexing if available Copy counts for various paper sizes Numbers ofjobs for various printer languages such as PCL5 and PostScript Use ofmanual feed

[0079] TABLE 1C Monthly Report Message From Facsimile Machines Number oftransmissions and receptions Number of pages sent Number of pagesreceived Counts for special features such as speed dials

[0080] Tables 1A-1C illustrate monthly report messages which may begenerated for copiers, printers, and facsimile machines. These monthlyreports simply show the parameters, usage, and other information of themachines and of course may be different and include more or lessinformation, as desired. TABLE 2 Communication Commands T: Target,Operator Operands V: Value Set T V Get T Report T V Set_List T₁ V₁, T₂V₂, . . . , T_(n) V_(n) Get_List T1 T2, . . . , T_(n) Report_List T₁ V₁,T₂ V₂, . . . , T_(n) V_(n) Copy_Memory_To_(—) Source Destination MemoryNum_Byte Copy_Memory_To_Disk Source Name Num_Byte Copy_Disk_To_MemoryName Destination Command_Not_Understood Operator and Operands

[0081] Table 2 illustrates various communication commands which may beused to implement the communication operations described herein. Theleft-side of the table contains the operators and the right-side of thetable contains the operands. In the table, T indicates a target which isa specific address, parameter, sensor, or stored data, and V is a value.The commands illustrated in Table 2 are the set command which allows aspecific address, parameter, or stored data to be set to the valuecontained in V. Similarly, the get command allows specific targetinformation to be obtained. The report operator is included in a reportfrom the monitored machine of information requested by the get operator.The set_list, get_list and report_list allow more than one target andvalue to be obtained, set or generated using a single operator. Theillustrated copy commands allow information to be copied from one memoryaddress to another memory address, from a memory address to a disk, andfrom a disk to a memory location. The command_not understood operatorindicates that a specific operator and/or operand(s) was not understood.TABLE 3A Commands to Copier get id; set sorter yes; set adf  yes; getconfiguration; get A100; set A100  FFAA; get copy_count; get jam-count;get last_toner-change; set boot A100;

[0082] TABLE 3B Response from Copier report id AX301B3330; reportconfiguration LIST (sorter yes, adf yes, large_capacity_tray no, . . . .. ); report A100 AABB; report A100 FFAA; report copy-count 9895; reportjam-count 0; report last_toner change_12Apr95;

[0083] Table 3A illustrates commands which may be sent to a copier froma remote monitoring and diagnostic device and Table 3B illustrates theresponse from the copier after receiving the commands of Table 3A. Afterthe get id command in Table 3A, the response from the copier is a reportof the id which is AX301B3330;. The second line of Table 3B illustratesthe use of “LIST”. In this case, the configuration includes more thanone target parameter and therefore, the group of target parameters andtheir value are preceded by the “LIST” operator. The information inTables 3A and 3B has been created for illustrative purposes. By settingthe sorter and automatic document feeder (adf) in the second and thirdcommands to the copier to be activated, no response from the copier isgenerated. In response to the get configuration command, there is areport generated from the copier in the second response from the copier.Also illustrated in Tables 3A and 3B are the getting and setting of aspecific memory location A100. The last command in Table 3A is thesetting of boot to A100. This means that upon rebooting orreinitialization of the copier, the memory location A100 is to be read.

[0084] In addition to the machines accessing the Internet through a LAN,the machine can alternatively access the Internet through a telephoneline, ISDN, or cable via an Internet access provider or a dial-upservice such as America On Line. In this manner, a machine that is notconnected to a network can still use a connectionless mode ofconnection. In this case, the machine will have to periodically dial theInternet provider in order to receive incoming Internet e-mail messages.

[0085] Diagnostic and statistical information regarding the operation ofa business office device or other machine might be consideredconfidential or proprietary information and therefore, people may notwish to have this information viewed by unauthorized people. Theunauthorized viewing of transmitted data is a particular concern wheninformation is transmitted over the Internet. Further, it is desirableto prevent the transmission of confidential information such asinformation from a machine or business office device which should not beremotely monitored, or information which is unrelated to the businessoffice device over the Internet, with this information being disguisedas diagnostic and status information of a business office device. Theflowcharts of FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 14 illustrate processes for monitoringinformation transmitted from a company to a remote data center over theInternet, for example.

[0086] The information which is to be transmitted over the networkoriginates from any one of the devices connected to the network 16 inFIG. 1 such as the printer 32, the facsimile machine 28, the digitalcopier/printer 24, any other type of machine or any of the workstationsconnected to the network 16. The information to be transmittedpreferably originates from electromechanical sensors which are sensorswhich detect the state such as the mechanical state of the device ormachine and output the sensed state electrically. The electro-mechanicalsensors may be constructed not to have any moving parts and may beimplemented, for example, as an optical sensor which detects thepresence of paper, although the electromechanical sensor may detect anyother feature of the business office device or machine and beimplemented in any desired manner. The information is transmitted, forexample as an e-mail message, through the firewall 14, over the Internet10, and to a data center which processes and monitors the data of thebusiness office device such as the workstation 42 through the firewall40, or to any of the workstations connected to the network 52 throughthe firewall 50. The security center which monitors outgoing messagesfrom the network 16 is implemented in any of the workstations connectedto the network 16, or alternatively is implemented within the firewallmechanism 14.

[0087] In the process of FIGS. 13A and 13B, after starting, step 502constructs a message to be transmitted in step 502 by a machine such asone of the business office devices 32, 28, or 24. This message is thenencrypted in step 504 by one of the business office devices or by analternative mechanism connected to the business office device. Theencrypted message is then transmitted in step 506 to the intendeddestination such as a data center which monitors and processes receivedmessages such as the workstation 42 or one of the workstations connectedto the network 52, and is also transmitted to a security center, alsoreferred to as a security device, which may be implemented using one ofthe workstations connected to the network 16, or within the firewall 14.The transmission of the message to both the security center and the datacenter ensures that the security center or security group receives thesame message as was transmitted through the firewall 14 over theInternet. As an alternative, instead of the business office devicesending the message to the security center, the firewall 14 sends a copyof the message passing therethrough to the security center to assurethat the security center receives a true copy of the message sent overthe Internet.

[0088] The outgoing message is stored in a log or database, preferablycontained at the firewall 14 in step 508. This logging is performed sothat the security center which also receives a copy of the message cancheck (in step 530 described below) that a copy of all outgoing messagesare received. Within the intended destination such as the data centerwhich processes the message to monitor, diagnose, and/or correct amachine from which the message originates, the encrypted information isreceived and decrypted in step 510, and processed in step 512 in orderto monitor, diagnose and/or control the machine. At the same time, theencrypted message such as the e-mail message is received, decrypted, andstored in step 520 by the security center such as one of theworkstations connected to the network 16, or alternatively the firewall14. In step 522, the security center determines what information isbeing sent. In order to perform step 522, it is necessary to be able todecode the decrypted message, for example using a computer programexecuting on a general purpose computer. For example, the datatransmitted from one of the business office devices may be in a binaryform or other format which cannot be easily processed or understood by ahuman or machine. Therefore, it is necessary to determine, using thecomputer program, the real meaning of the data which is being sent.

[0089] Step 524 then determines if it is acceptable or permissible totransmit the information contained within the message which wasencrypted in step 504. If this message is standard data describing thestate of a business office device which does not have a high securityconcern and therefore can be remotely monitored, the data can betransmitted. Alternatively, if step 524 determines that it is notpermissible to transmit the data, a warning is issued in step 526 suchas a warning to a human monitor of a security device. Step 528 thenprohibits future communications, if desired, from the machine which istransmitting the data. It is not permissible to transmit the data whenthe data is from a machine which should not be remotely monitored and/orcontrolled or the data contains confidential information which shouldnot be transmitted After an initial time period such as several days, aweek, or a month, the checking of step 524 does not have to be performedfor every transmitted message but outgoing messages may be checkedrandomly. This random checking will reduce the burden on a personchecking the messages. However, if the outgoing messages are checked bya machine, it is preferable to monitor every outgoing message.

[0090] Step 530 then determines if the outgoing messages of the machinesor office devices which are stored in the log at the firewall 14 have acorresponding message at the security center. When the security centeris implemented as a device which is different from the firewall 14, ifstep 506 is properly performed each time such that the encryptedmessages transmitted to both the intended destination such as the datacenter and the security center, the security center will have received amessage corresponding to each message stored in the log at the firewall.However, if someone or a machine attempts to transmit an unauthorizedmessage through the firewall 14, a log of this message will be keptwhereas the security center will not receive a corresponding message. Ifstep 530 determines that there is not a correspondence between theoutgoing messages through the firewall 14 and the messages which havebeen received by the security center, flow proceeds to step 532 whichissues a warning such as a warning to a human monitor of a securitydevice by illuminating a warning lamp, generating an audible warning, orgenerating a computer message. Step 534 then prohibits futurecommunications, if desired, from the machine which is transmitting data,prohibits all communications through the firewall, or performs adifferent type of security action. The process of FIGS. 13A and 13B thenends. Also, if step 530 determines that all logged messages passingthrough the firewall 14 have a corresponding entry at the securitycenter, the process ends. As an alternative to the steps illustrated inFIGS. 13A and 13B, instead of transmitting the encrypted message to boththe intended destination and the security center at the same time instep 506, the message is first transmitted to the security center andtransmission to the intended destination is delayed until it isdetermined that it is acceptable to transmit the information in steps524 and 530.

[0091] As yet another alternative, step 524 monitors the e-mailaddresses of the originating device and/or the destination device. Ifone or both of these addresses does not match a list of permissibleaddresses stored in a database, a warning is issued, futurecommunications prohibited, and/or other actions taken to signal theoccurrence of the attempted improper transmission.

[0092]FIG. 14 illustrates a second embodiment of monitoring outgoingtransmissions. After starting, step 552 constructs the message to betransmitted by the printer 32, facsimile 28, digital copier/printer 24,or a device connected thereto. This message is transmitted in anunencrypted form to a security center in step 554 which is implementedin any of the workstations connected to the network 16 or within thefirewall device 14. By sending the unencrypted message to the securitycenter in step 554, the security center will have a reference which issubsequently compared, as described below, with the message passingthrough the firewall over the Internet to the data monitoring center.

[0093] Step 556 then encrypts the message to be transmitted, either atthe machine such as the business office device or by another deviceconnected to the business office device. The encrypted message is thentransmitted to the firewall 14 in step 558. The firewall 14 forwards theencrypted message through the firewall over the Internet to the intendeddestination and also sends a copy of the encrypted message back to thesecurity center. Step 562 then decrypts the message at the securitycenter which was forwarded by the firewall 14. Step 562 then comparesthe message received from the business device which was transmitted instep 554 with the message received from the firewall 14. If it isdetermined that the messages are not the same, a warning such as awarning to a human operator is issued in step 564 and futurecommunications are prohibited, if desired, or other security actions andpreventive measures are taken in step 566. The process of FIG. 14 thenends. If step 562 determines that the message from the business deviceis the same as the message received at the firewall, the process of FIG.14 ends. Alternatively, before the process of FIG. 14 ends, e.g., afterstep 562 results in an affirmative response or after step 566, a step ofchecking the contents of the outgoing message can be performed in asimilar manner as steps 524, 526, and 528 of FIG. 13B are performed.

[0094] As an alternative to forwarding the encrypted message through thefirewall over the Internet and at the same time sending a copy of theencrypted message to the security center, the encrypted message can beheld at the firewall until the security center determines in step 562that the message from the business office device is the same as themessage copied from the firewall. This prevents an unauthorizedcommunication from being transmitted through the firewall before it canbe checked.

[0095] Different features of the security aspect of this invention areshown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 13A and 13B, and FIG. 14. The presentinvention includes embodiments having various combinations of featuresfrom each of the FIGS. 13A and 13B, and 14.

[0096] The security center which is described in the flowcharts of FIGS.13 and 14 should be restricted to authorized personnel so that thesecurity measures are not bypassed and properly implemented and thatconfidential data is not viewed by people who are not authorized. In theembodiments disclosed above, the message which is ultimately transmittedis either relayed by the security center, or alternatively, the securitycenter receives a copy of the data and the data within the message istransmitted by the business office device. The invention also allows thesecurity group to store and archive the outgoing messages in case themessages are ever needed, for example, to see if passed securitybreaches have occurred, or to monitor the history of the operation ofthe business office device.

[0097] An aspect of this invention is the use of both connection-modeand connectionless-modes of communication. While connectionless-modecommunications may be less expensive than connection-mode communicationsover long distances, connectionless-modes of communication such asInternet electronic mail messages may not be as reliable asconnection-mode messages, for example such as direct telephoneconnections using modems. An aspect of this invention is therefore tomake an initial attempt in communicating using a connectionless-modemessage and if an acknowledgment is not received indicating receipt ofthe connectionless-mode message, an alternate mode of communication suchas a connection-mode communication is utilized or a message indicatingan error and requesting a user to call a service center may bedisplayed.

[0098]FIG. 15 illustrates a data structure 600 which is stored in amemory and transmitted in order to receive a reply or acknowledgment ofreceipt of the message. The data structure 600 begins with a message IDfield 602 which is a unique reference used to identify the message. Anaspect of this invention is to determine or monitor the time which haspassed after a message is sent in order to determine if an alternatemode of communication is to be used. One manner of storing the time themessage was sent is to include in the message ID field an indication ofthe time and date the message was sent. As an example of how to generatethe message ID field 602, the computer programming language C includestime and date functions. For example, the function “time” returns thecurrent calender time encoded in an integer type of long. Further, the Cfunctions gmtime and localtime convert an arithmetic calender timereturned by the “time” function to a broken-down form of type “structtm” The gmtime function converts to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) whilelocaltime converts to a local time, taking into account the time zoneand possible daylight saving time. The structure “struct tm” includesthe fields which provide in integer format seconds after the minute,minutes after the hour, hours since midnight, day of month, month sinceJanuary, years since 1900, day since Sunday, day since January 1,daylight saving time flag. While this is one example which the Cprogramming language provides for specifying the time and date, anyother desired function can be utilized to use the time and date withinor associated with the message. For example, it is possible to use theoutput from the function time(time_t*tp) and convert this value to ahexadecimal number for the message ID. If desired, there is no need touse the local time. While the message ID has been described using timeand date information, it is also possible to assign any other numeric,alpha-numeric, alphabetic code, or any desired characters to the messageID and to store the time and date in a separate field, if desired.

[0099] A second field of the data structure 600 is the reply requestfield 604. The reply request field indicates whether or not the senderof the message requests a reply or acknowledgment that the message hasbeen received. One manner of implementing this aspect of the inventionis to set the reply request field to “0” when a reply is not needed andto set the reply request field to “1” when a reply is needed. However,any type of flag or other indicator may be used to indicate whether areply request is desired.

[0100] Field 606 of the data structure 600 illustrated in FIG. 15contains the reply urgency level. This field is utilized to indicate howurgent it is to receive a reply. This field may be implemented byassigning the number 9 to the highest urgency level, 5 to a mediumurgency level, and 1 to a low urgency level. If the reply urgency levelis set too high, an acknowledgment or reply should be received within ashort period of time and if it is not received within a short period oftime, an alternate manner of communication may be utilized.Alternatively, if the reply urgency level is set to a low value, alonger period of time may be utilized before an alternative manner ofcommunication is attempted. While the reply request and reply urgencylevel are illustrated as being separate fields 604 and 606 in FIG. 15,if desired, a single field may be utilized for storing and transmittingboth types of information. This may be accomplished by having a replyurgency level of 0 indicate that no reply or acknowledgment is requestedand having a value greater than 0 indicating that a reply is requested,for example.

[0101] The last field illustrated in the data structure 600 is a messagecontents field 608. Field 608 stores the contents of the message whichare being transmitted and may include any desired operator or commandwhich requests that an operation be executed. These commands aretypically the commands utilized to diagnose and/or control a devicehaving sensors such as a business office device but may contain anydesired message contents including the message contents passed betweengeneral purpose computers.

[0102]FIG. 16 illustrates a data structure 620 which is utilized totransmit information of individual operators or operation commands whichexecute functions or request information. A field 624 is utilized tostore one or more parameters associated with the operator or command.The operators which are utilized by the present invention may includeany of the operators described herein or in any of the applications orpatents which are related to this application. A non-limiting list ofvarious operators which can be utilized with this invention include, forexample, the commands illustrated in Table 2 such as Get, Get_List, Set,Set_List, Copy_Memory_To_Memory, Copy_Memory_To_Disk, andCopy_Disk_To_Memory.

[0103] Field 626, 628, and 630 of FIG. 16 are utilized to request areply or acknowledgment relating to the status of a specific operator.Just as the present invention provides for a reply or acknowledgment ofreceipt or processing of a message, individual replies may be providedfor each individual operator within a message, although it is notrequired to implement this feature. The reply request field 626indicates whether a reply is desired for the operator named in field622. Field 628 indicates the urgency level of the reply and may beimplemented using a numerical scale of 1 to 9 or 0 to 10, for example.The operation request ID field 630 is utilized to identify the specificoperator named in field 622 when there are a plurality of operatorshaving the same name within a message. For example, the first time anoperator occurs within a message the operation request ID field would bethe operator name with a suffix of 1. The second time the same operatorappeared within a message, the operation request ID field 630 would bethe operator name with a suffix of 2, etc. Therefore, a specificoperator can be identified by providing the message ID and the operationrequest ID. Alternatively, the operation request ID field may contain aunique number similar to the message ID field and therefore, theoperation request ID field alone would be sufficient to identify boththe message ID and the particular operator.

[0104]FIG. 17 illustrates a data structure 640 which is transmitted inorder to inquire into the status of the operation associated with theoperation request ID field 646.

[0105] The data structure 640 includes an inquire operation field 642which is utilized to indicate that the status of a particular operationor operator is being requested. Field 644 indicates the message IDassociated with the message which contains the operator, and theoperation request ID 646 is utilized to identify the particular operatorcontained within the message associated with the message ID.

[0106] When a message reply is received, the contents of the messagereply may be as illustrated in the data structure 650 illustrated inFIG. 18. The data structure 650 contains a message reply field 652 whichindicates that the received message is a reply to or acknowledgment of amessage for which a reply was requested. A message ID field 654 returnsthe message ID of the message being acknowledged. In addition to thefield illustrated in FIG. 18, the data structure 650 may also include,if desired, a field indicating the date and time the original messagewas received by the receiving device and/or the date and time themessage reply was transmitted from the receiving device. The presentinvention may be constructed such that if a message which is very old isreceived, a message reply is not sent. For example, if a message isreceived by the receiving device with a high urgency level more than twodays after the time and date contained within the message ID, it may notbe appropriate to send a reply or acknowledgment of receipt as analternate manner of communication would have already been used.

[0107]FIG. 19 illustrates a data structure 660 which is utilized toprovide the reply for a specific operation. Field 662 is utilized toindicate that a reply for a specific operation is being sent. A messageID field 664 and an operation request ID field 666 are utilized toindicate the particular message and operation or operator within themessage. A field 668 is utilized to indicate the status of the operator.Exemplary statuses which may be used with this invention include anindication that the execution of the particular operator has notstarted, is in progress, is done or has been completed, or has had anabnormal termination. Any other status which is appropriate to theoperator can also be transmitted.

[0108] The connectionless-mode messages utilized with the presentinvention are preferably Internet electronic mail messages, although anyother type of connectionless messages may be utilized. A currentaccepted standard in Internet electronic mail communications is theSimple Mail Transport Protocol, referred to as SMTP. The Simple MailTransport Protocol is defined in the Request for Comments (RFC) 821. TheRequest for Comments 822 specifies further information of the format ofInternet electronic mail messages and has been updated by RFC 1327. Eachof the above Request for Comments is available on the Internet and isincorporated herein by reference. SMTP uses TCP (Transmission ControlProtocol) packets to transport data from the sending machine to thereceiving machine. An SMTP conversation is carried on by two pieces ofsoftware running on machines connected to the Internet, called MailTransport Agents (MTAs). The details of implementing Internet electronicmail communication are well known.

[0109] The present invention utilizes electronic mail messages in aunique manner. An exemplary Internet electronic mail message which maybe used as a connectionless-mode message in the present invention isillustrated as message 680 in FIG. 20. The beginning of this messagethrough the line beginning with “Status:” is the message header. Themessage header contains predefined fields and may be utilized to routethe message and/or determine basic information about the message. In theexample of FIG. 20, the message is to the monitoring device and from themonitored device. However, the information in these fields may bereversed as connectionless modes of communication may originate fromeither a monitoring device or a monitored device. The subject of thismessage is “Request” indicating a reply is requested. A conventional andstandard way of generating the message body is to use ordinary text,sometimes referred to as plain text, which uses the character setdefined as “US-ASCII” However, the present inventor has determined thatit may be preferable to transmit messages which are encoded in binary.The format of the binary coding may be made using binary encoding asdefined in ISO/IEC 8825, second edition, which is dated Dec. 15, 1990.In order to convert the binary messages into the plain text format whichuses the ASCII character set, a known process such as the UUENCODEprocess may be utilized to convert the binary message to a plain textmessage. As an alternative to using uuencoded messages, base-64 encodingas described at page 455 of the book “TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1”, byStevens, and published by Addison-Wesley, 1994, may be utilized. Thelast six lines illustrated in FIG. 20 are the message content and may beimpossible or extremely difficult for a human to ascertain as they areintended to represent a binary message encoded in a textual format.However, any format may be utilized to represent the message and messagebody.

[0110] In the present invention, the message content is preferablycontained within the message body which is the body of the electronicmail message. Thus, there is no need to modify the standard fieldsutilized with Internet electronic mail messages. Therefore, the entiremessage including data structure 600 illustrated in FIG. 15 and each ofthe operators which utilize the data structure 620 are contained withinthe message body. However, as an alternative, one or more of thesefields may be contained within the header of the electronic mailmessage. Further, the electronic mail message or any other communicationutilized by the present invention may be encrypted, if desired, in orderto provide a security measure and to prevent unauthorized people fromreading the message contents. Any type of encryption process may beutilized by the present invention including known and conventionalencryption processes.

[0111] As the entire message is included in the body section of theelectronic mail message in the preferred embodiment of the invention, anappropriate reply or acknowledgment cannot be provided until the contentof the message is processed and decoded. Therefore, by not using thearrival of the message to trigger an acknowledgment, the acknowledgmentis not sent until the content is properly decoded. However, according toan alternative embodiment, it is possible to send an acknowledgment assoon as the message is received without processing the contents of themessage or message body.

[0112]FIGS. 21A and 21B illustrate the process of creating a message tobe transmitted and more preferably, a process for creating aconnectionless-mode message which is to be transmitted. After starting,step 702 determines the machine to which the message is to be sent. Themessage may be sent to a monitored device such as a copier, printer,facsimile machine, scanner, multi-purpose machine, or any other desiredmachine such as a general purpose computer, for example, or may be sentto a remote diagnostic or control center, a monitoring device, or anyother machine. Step 704 then determines the information which is to betransmitted in the message. For example the operators and associateparameters which are to be transmitted are determined in any desiredmanner. Next, step 706 generates the message header including theaddress information of the message. Such a message header isillustrated, for example, in FIG. 20 as the first ten lines of theelectronic mail message 680. Step 708 then reads a timer within acomputing device transmitting the message in order to determine the timeat which a message is sent. Step 710 then constructs the message IDfield, illustrated as field 602 in data structure 600 of FIG. 15, usingthe timer information as explained above. The message ID is preferably aunique identifier indicating the date and time the message was sent.From FIG. 21A, control proceeds to process A illustrated in FIG. 21B.

[0113] In FIG. 21B, step 712 determines if a reply or acknowledgment isneeded which indicates that the transmitted message was received. If noreply is needed, control proceeds to step 714 which sets the replyrequest field 604 to indicate that no reply is required. If 0 is used toindicate that there is not to be any reply and 1 is used to indicatethat there is a reply requested, step 714 will set the reply requestfield to 0. If step 712 determines that a reply is needed, step 716 setsthe reply request field 604 to indicate that a reply is requested. Forexample, 1 in the reply request field 604 may be utilized to indicatethat a reply is requested. Next, step 718 sets the reply urgency levelwhich is stored in field 606 of data structure 600. A reply urgencyfield of 9 may be utilized to indicate that an urgent reply is required,5 may be utilized to indicate a medium level urgency, and 1 may beutilized to indicate a low level urgency.

[0114] From steps 718 and 714, step 720 constructs the message body toinclude the information to be transmitted. This information to betransmitted includes the operators which may be transmitted in themessage body using the data structure 620 illustrated in FIG. 16, andany other desired information. Details of how the individual operatorsand their associated data structures 620 are constructed are illustratedand explained with respect to FIG. 22. After the message body has beenconstructed, the message body is encoded for transmission in step 722.This may be performed by converting the message body to binary in step722 to conform with, for example, ISO/IEC 8825. Also in step 722, thebinary message is converted to a textual representation using either theUUENCODING process or a process which converts the message to base-64,for example. The entire message including the header and message bodysuch as is illustrated in FIG. 20 is transmitted in step 724. Step 726then registers at the transmitting device that the message has beentransmitted and the process ends. The registration performed in step 726is performed in order to properly monitor the receipt of acknowledgmentor replies. If a message which is registered does not receive a replywithin an appropriate amount of time, an alternate mode of communicationmay be utilized such as a public telephone line, an ISDN (IntegratedServices Digital Network) line, a cable, or alternatively a message maybe displayed to a user, for example, such as a message on an operationpanel of a business office device indicating that it is necessary tocall a service center or other diagnostic location.

[0115]FIG. 22 illustrates a process of generating the data structure 620illustrated in FIG. 16 which is utilized to store the information ofindividual operators or commands within the message body. Afterstarting, step 470 obtains the next (or first) operator to be includedin the message which is to be transmitted. Step 742 determines if theoperator requires a reply or acknowledgment from the receiving device.If it does not, control proceeds to step 744 which constructs theoperator and associated parameters, if any. For example, step 744provides the information illustrated in fields 622 and 624 of FIG. 16.Step 746 then adds the operator and the associated parameters, if any,to the message body and control returns to the calling process. Theprocess of FIG. 22 then can be executed for subsequent operators whichare to be included in the message.

[0116] If step 742 determines that the operator does require a reply,control flows to step 750 which constructs the operation request ID.When the operation request ID is utilized to distinguish the sameoperator appearing within a message a plurality of times, the first timean operator appears within a message, its operation request ID is set toone. Subsequent occurrences of the same operator in the message aresequentially numbered and assigned an integer value. Step 752 thendetermines whether the reply for the operator is urgent. If the reply isurgent, step 754 sets the reply urgency field 628 illustrated in FIG. 16to 9, for example. If the reply is not urgent, step 756 sets the replyurgency level 628 to 5, for example. It may be also possible to set thereply urgency level to 1, for example, indicating a low reply urgency.

[0117] Step 758 then constructs the operator with the reply requestfield 626 set, and any parameters which may be used. Step 760 adds theconstructed operator and associated information contained within thedata structure 620 to the message. Step 762 then registers that theoperator is being transmitted. This registration process is performed inorder to assure that appropriate action is taken when a required replyfor the operator is not received. Control then returns to the callingprocess so that the next operator may be processed.

[0118]FIGS. 23A, 23B, and 23C illustrate the process which is performedwhen a transmitted message is received by a receiving device. Afterstarting, step 770 receives a message, and if necessary, the receivedmessage is converted to an appropriate format. For example, it may benecessary to change the binary message from the textual representationto the standard binary representation. Step 772 then registers that themessage has been received. This registration process is performed inorder to know which messages have been received by the receiving device.For example, if an acknowledge of receipt or reply message is neverreceived by the transmitting device, the transmitting device willretransmit the message using a connection-mode of communication. Inorder to prevent the same message from executing again if theconnectionless-mode message was already executed by a reply not receivedby the transmitting device, a database of received messages will bechecked in order to assure that the same message is not executed asecond time.

[0119] Step 774 then determines if the same message was previouslyreceived. This step is performed by determining if a message having thesame message ID as the present message was already received. It may bepossible that electronic mail messages are generated or received twiceand in order to prevent execution of operators associated with themessage a second time, control proceeds to step 776 which optionallysends a reply which indicates that the message was received. The replymay be used to indicate that the message was received a second time orthe appropriate number of times. Alternatively, step 776 may be omitted,if desired, and the process then ends. If the same message was notpreviously received, control proceeds from step 774 to step 778 whichdetermines if the received message contains a request for a reply. Also,if the message which has been received is determined to be old based onthe time and date contained with the message ID, it may be appropriatenot to send any reply as the message may have already been retransmittedusing the connection-mode. If a reply is requested, control proceeds tostep 780 which determines the reply urgency level. Step 782 thenconstructs the reply message as illustrated in FIG. 18. If desired, thereply message may be constructed in order to reflect the reply urgencylevel of the received message. Step 784 then transmits the replymessage. From step 784 or a negative answer to step 778, controlproceeds to process B illustrated in FIG. 23B.

[0120] In FIG. 23B, step 786 determines if any operators containedwithin the message have an urgent reply level. If one or more operatorsdo have an urgent reply level, step 788 determines the status of theurgent reply operators. As the message has not yet begun to execute, itis probable that the status of the urgent reply operators will be notstarted or not yet executed. However, step 786, 788, and 790 can beperformed at any desired time when processing the received message andif performed at different times, different statuses will result such asexecution in progress, execution complete, or execution abnormallyterminated, for example. Step 790 then transmits the status of theurgent reply level operators.

[0121] Next, the processing of the operators begins. Step 792 obtainsthe next operator contained within the message. This may be, ifappropriate, the first operator of the message. Step 794 then beginsexecution of the operator in accordance with any parameters associatedwith the operator. Step 796 then registers that the status of theoperator is in the process of execution. Thus, if it is necessary totransmit the status of the operator, a status of in progress orcurrently executing will be provided. Step 798 then determines if theoperator which is executing has a reply urgency level which indicatesthat a reply should be sent indicating that the operator is in progress.If a reply is required indicating the message is in operation, step 800is performed which transmits the in progress status of the operator backto the machine which originally transmitted the message. From step 800or a negative response in step 798, control proceeds to process Dillustrated in FIG. 23C.

[0122] In FIG. 23C, step 802 determines if the operator finishedexecution within a predetermined time period. For example, a maximumtime period associated with a command is provided and if the executiontime for the command exceeds that time period, control proceeds to step804 which transmits an error message to the original transmitting deviceindicating an abnormal termination for the operator. The abnormaltermination for the operator may also be transmitted or registered whenany abnormal termination of the operator occurs. Step 804 is an optionalstep. Step 806 then registers that the operator has had an abnormaltermination in the registration database for operators so that futureinquiries will be provided with the status of the operator.

[0123] If step 802 determines that the operator has finished executionproperly and within the predetermined time period, control proceeds tostep 808 which transmits a message to the original transmitting stationindicating that the operator has completed performing the desiredoperation. If desired, step 808 may be optional and omitted. Step 810then registers that the operator has successfully completed executionand also registers the time of completion. Thus, future inquiries intothe status of the operator will indicate that the operator has finishedexecution at the time execution was complete. From steps 810 and 806,control proceeds to step 812 which determines if all operators have beenprocessed. If they have not, control proceeds to process C in FIG. 23Bwhich continues the process beginning at step 792 in order to processthe next operator. After all operators have been processed, the processof FIGS. 23A-23C ends.

[0124]FIG. 24 illustrates a process performed when a machine receives aninquiry message which inquires into the status of an operation, forexample using the data structure 640 illustrated in FIG. 17. Afterstarting in FIG. 24, step 820 is executed which receives the inquiryoperation request. Step 822 then determines the message ID and theoperation request ID from the inquiry operation request. This may beperformed by analyzing the information contained within the datastructure 640.

[0125] Step 824 is then performed which determines the status of thespecific operation using the operation registration database whichcontains information on each of the operators. The status is determinedby looking up the corresponding message ID and operation request ID inthe registration database. An appropriate status is contained within thedatabase such as that the operation has not started executing, is inprogress or is currently executing, has completed executing, hasabnormally terminated, or the operation has never been received. Step826 then constructs the operation reply which returns the status of themessage using the data structure 660 illustrated in FIG. 19. Theoperation reply is then transmitted in step 830 and the process of FIG.24 then ends.

[0126] A feature of this invention is when a connectionless mode messageis not properly received, as indicated by not receiving anacknowledgment of receipt, an alternate mode of communication such as aconnection-mode of communication is used. FIG. 25 illustrates a processof determining whether the message should be retransmitted using analternate mode of communication such as a connection-mode message. Afterstarting, step 840 obtains the next entry in the registration databasefor which a reply has been requested. A registration database isutilized to store each message which has been transmitted for which areply or acknowledgment is expected. It is to be noted that this processillustrated in FIG. 25 is performed by the machine or a machineassociated with the machine transmitting the original message. Step 842then determines if a reply has been received. If a reply has beenreceived from the original transmitted message, the entry is deletedfrom the registration database in step 844 and control proceeds back tostep 840 which obtains the next entry in the registration database. Ifstep 842 determines that no reply has been received, step 846 isperformed which reads the message ID of the message in the registrationdatabase to determine when the connectionless-mode message wastransmitted. Also, step 848 reads the reply urgency level of themessage. Step 850 then determines whether the message should beretransmitted using the connection-mode of communication based on thetime the original message was transmitted and the reply urgency level ofthe message. A table may be constructed containing maximum timescorresponding to different urgency levels. For example, an urgentmessage may require a reply within two minutes to one-half hour, forexample, before the message should be retransmitted using aconnection-mode of operation. A medium urgency level message may waitfrom 30 minutes to four hours before the message is retransmitted usingthe connection-mode of operation. A low level urgency message may bepermitted to wait up to 24 hours before the message is retransmittedusing the connectionless-mode of operation. If step 850 determines,based on the reply urgency level and/or the time the message wastransmitted that the message should not be retransmitted, controlreturns to step 840. Alternatively, if step 850 determines that themessage should be retransmitted, control proceeds to step 852. Step 852then retransmits the message using the connection-mode of operation. Theretransmission of the message includes the operation request ID and themessage ID. Also, the registration database is modified in order toproperly indicate that the original connectionless-mode message has beenretransmitted using the connection-mode of operation. The process ofFIG. 25 then ends.

[0127]FIG. 26 illustrates the process of receiving the connection-modemessage which has been transmitted after there was a failure to reply tothe connectionless-mode message. After starting in FIG. 26, step 860receives the connection-mode message. Step 862 then determines if acorresponding connectionless-mode message has previously been received.It is possible that the connection-mode message was received before theacknowledgment of the original connectionless mode message was receivedby the original transmitting device and therefore, the receiving devicewill receive both the connection-mode message and theconnectionless-mode message. If step 862 determines that a correspondingconnectionless-mode message has not been previously received, controlproceeds to step 864 which registers that the connection-mode messagehas been received. This registration is performed so that in the eventthat the corresponding connectionless-mode message is later received,the same message content is not executed a second time. Step 866 thenprocesses the content of the connection-mode message.

[0128] If step 862 determines that a corresponding connectionless-modemessage has already been previously received, step 868 is performedwhich transmits a message to the original transmitting device whichindicates that the corresponding connectionless-mode message has alreadybeen received. This is used to indicate to the original transmittingdevice that the same message has already been received. Step 870indicates that the connection-mode message is not executed because theoperators within this message have already been processed and theirassociated functions and commands previously performed. From steps 870and 866, the process of FIG. 26 ends.

[0129] The present invention is described with respect to a message andan operator. However, where reasonable, the functions and aspectsassociated with messages may be applied to individual operators, andvice versa. For example, the present invention allows an inquiryoperation to be performed as to the status of a specific operation.However, it is also possible to determine whether a specific message wasreceived by the receiving device. This is useful for medium to lowpriority messages when no reply has been received and is utilized forthe purpose of determining if the message was received and processed butthe acknowledgment of receipt and process was never received.

[0130] While the present invention has been described with respect tobusiness office devices, the teachings are equally applicable to anymachine containing sensors which is remotely monitored, diagnosed, orcommunicated with, and to general purpose computers.

[0131] This invention may be conventionally implemented using aconventional general purpose digital computer programmed according tothe teachings of the present invention, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the computer art. Appropriate software coding can readily beprepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the presentdisclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the software art.The invention may also be implemented by the preparation of applicationspecific integrated circuits or by interconnecting an appropriatenetwork of conventional component circuit, as will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art.

[0132] The present invention also includes a computer program productwhich is a storage medium including instructions which can be used toprogram a computer to perform a process of the invention. The storagemedium can include, but is not limited to, any type of disk includingfloppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs,RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of mediasuitable for storing electronic instructions.

[0133] The above described system may used with conventional machinesincluding conventional business office machines using add-on equipmentconstructed in accordance with the present teachings and installed in oroutside of the machine.

[0134] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:
 1. A method of controlling communications,comprising the steps of: transmitting, from a first device, a firstmessage which is a connectionless-mode message to a second device;monitoring, by the first device, whether the second device transmits aresponse to the message; transmitting, by the first device, a secondmessage when the first device does not receive a response to theconnectionless-mode message.
 2. A method according to claim 1, whereinthe step of transmitting the second message comprises: transmitting thesecond message as a connection-mode message to the second device.
 3. Amethod according to claim 2, wherein: the step of transmitting theconnection-mode message is performed when the first device does notreceive a response to the connectionless-mode message within apredetermined time period.
 4. A method according to claim 3, furthercomprising the step of: determining the predetermined time period basedon an urgency level of a requested reply.
 5. A method according to claim2, wherein the step of transmitting the connectionless-mode messagecomprises: transmitting the connectionless-mode message as an Internetelectronic mail message.
 6. A method according to claim 2, wherein thestep of transmitting the connection-mode message comprises: transmittingthe connection-mode message using a telephone line.
 7. A methodaccording to claim 6, wherein the step of transmitting theconnection-mode message comprises: transmitting the connection-modemessage using the telephone line without using an Internet connection.8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting theconnection-mode message comprises: transmitting the connection-modemessage using an ISDN line.
 9. A method according to claim 2, whereinthe step of transmitting the connection-mode message comprises:transmitting the connection-mode message using a cable.
 10. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the secondmessage comprises: displaying the second message on a display of thefirst device.
 11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step ofdisplaying the second message comprises: displaying a message indicatingthat service for the machine is needed.
 12. A method according to claim10, wherein the step of displaying the second message comprises:displaying a message that an acknowledgment of receipt of theconnectionless-mode message has not been received.
 13. A methodaccording to claim 2, further comprising the step of: processingcontents of the first message before transmitting the second message.14. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:analyzing contents of the first message; and transmitting a replyindicating the status of an operator within the message from the seconddevice to the first device.
 15. A method according to claim 14, whereinthe step of transmitting a reply comprises: transmitting one of anindication that the operator has not been received, has not yet begunexecuting, is in the process of executing, has finished executing, orhas terminated executing abnormally.
 16. A method according to claim 2,wherein the step of transmitting from the first device the first messagecomprises: transmitting the first message from the first device which isa business office device.
 17. A method according to claim 2, wherein thestep of monitoring comprises: monitoring whether the second device whichis a business office device transmits a response to the message.
 18. Amethod of controlling communications, comprising the steps of:transmitting, from a first device, a first message which is aconnectionless-mode message to a second device; receiving, by the seconddevice the connectionless-mode message; processing theconnectionless-mode message by the second device; and transmitting fromthe second device to the first device a second message which includesstatus information of an operator contained within the first message.19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the step of transmittingfrom the second device comprises: transmitting status information of theoperator which includes one of an indication that an operator has notbeen received, has not yet begun executing, is in the process ofexecuting, has finished executing, or has terminated executingabnormally.
 20. A method according to claim 18, wherein the step oftransmitting from the first device the first message comprises:transmitting the first message from the first device which is a businessoffice device.
 21. A method according to claim 18, wherein the step oftransmitting from the second device comprises: transmitting the secondmessage from the second device which is a business office device.
 22. Asystem for controlling communications, comprising: means fortransmitting, from a first device, a first message which is aconnectionless-mode message to a second device; means for monitoring, bythe first device, whether the second device transmits a response to themessage; and means for transmitting, by the first device, a secondmessage when the first device does not receive a response to theconnectionless-mode message.
 23. A system according to claim 22, whereinthe means for transmitting the second message comprises: means fortransmitting the second message as a connection-mode message to thesecond device.
 24. A system according to claim 23, wherein: the meansfor transmitting the connection-mode message operates when the firstdevice does not receive a response to the connectionless-mode messagewithin a predetermined time period.
 25. A system according to claim 24,further comprising: means for determining the predetermined time periodbased on an urgency level of a requested reply.
 26. A system accordingto claim 23, wherein the means for transmitting the connectionless-modemessage comprises: means for transmitting the connectionless-modemessage as an Internet electronic mail message.
 27. A system accordingto claim 23, wherein the means for transmitting the connection-modemessage comprises: means for transmitting the connection-mode messageusing a telephone line.
 28. A system according to claim 27, wherein themeans for transmitting the connection-mode message comprises: means fortransmitting the connection-mode message using the telephone linewithout using an Internet connection.
 29. A system according to claim23, wherein the means for transmitting the connection-mode messagecomprises: means for transmitting the connection-mode message using anISDN line.
 30. A system according to claim 23, wherein the means fortransmitting the connection-mode message comprises: means fortransmitting the connection-mode message using a cable.
 31. A systemaccording to claim 22, wherein the means for transmitting the secondmessage comprises: means for displaying the second message on a displayof the first device.
 32. A system according to claim 31, wherein themeans for displaying the second message comprises: means for displayinga message indicating that service for the machine is needed.
 33. Asystem according to claim 31, wherein the means for displaying thesecond message comprises: means for displaying a message that anacknowledgment of receipt of the connectionless-mode message has notbeen received.
 34. A system according to claim 23, further comprising:means for processing contents of the first message before transmittingthe second message.
 35. A system according to claim 23, furthercomprising: means for analyzing contents of the first message; and meansfor transmitting a reply indicating the status of an operator within themessage from the second device to the first device.
 36. A systemaccording to claim 35, wherein the means for transmitting a replycomprises: means for transmitting one of an indication that the operatorhas not been received, has not yet begun executing, is in the process ofexecuting, has finished executing, or has terminated executingabnormally.
 37. A system according to claim 23, wherein the means fortransmitting from the first device the first message comprises: meansfor transmitting the first message from the first device which is abusiness office device.
 38. A system according to claim 23, wherein themeans for monitoring comprises: means for monitoring whether the seconddevice which is a business office device transmits a response to themessage.
 39. A system of controlling communications, comprising: meansfor transmitting, from a first device, a first message which is aconnectionless-mode message to a second device; means for receiving, bythe second device the connectionless-mode message; means for processingthe connectionless-mode message by the second device; and means fortransmitting from the second device to the first device a second messagewhich includes status information of an operator contained within thefirst message.
 40. A system according to claim 39, wherein the means fortransmitting from the second device comprises: means for transmittingstatus information of the operator which includes one of an indicationthat an operator has not been received, has not yet begun executing, isin the process of executing, has finished executing, or has terminatedexecuting abnormally.
 41. A system according to claim 39, wherein themeans for transmitting from the first device the first messagecomprises: means for transmitting the first message from the firstdevice which is a business office device.
 42. A system according toclaim 39, wherein the means for transmitting from the second devicecomprises: means for transmitting the second message from the seconddevice which is a business office device.
 43. A computer program producthaving a computer readable medium having computer program logic recordedthereon for controlling communications, comprising: means fortransmitting, from a first device, a first message which is aconnectionless-mode message to a second device; means for monitoring, bythe first device, whether the second device transmits a response to themessage; and means for transmitting, by the first device, a secondmessage when the first device does not receive a response to theconnectionless-mode message.
 44. A computer program product according toclaim 43, wherein the means for transmitting the second messagecomprises: means for transmitting the second message as aconnection-mode message to the second device.
 45. A computer programproduct according to claim 44, wherein: the means for transmitting theconnection-mode message operates when the first device does not receivea response to the connectionless-mode message within a predeterminedtime period.
 46. A computer program product according to claim 45,further comprising: means for determining the predetermined time periodbased on an urgency level of a requested reply.
 47. A system accordingto claim 44, wherein the means for transmitting the connectionless-modemessage comprises: means for transmitting the connectionless-modemessage as an Internet electronic mail message.